The NHL's announcement of a franchise for Seattle has sparked the imaginations of fans across North America.

The team should find a natural rival with the Vancouver Canucks and could bring major tourism benefits as a recent poll indicates fans from both sides of the border say they're likely to take a trip to watch a game in their rivals city.

The online survey finds strong agreement among hockey fans in Metro Vancouver, 89 per cent and Seattle, 88 per cent, that the two teams will have an exciting rivalry with the Canucks. The poll also indicates the rivalry could lead to a nice boost to the tourism industry of both regions, as the majority of these fans say they’re willing to travel to each other’s city in order to watch a game.

So far the Seattle team does not have a name but one of the hot handles making the rounds on social media and in sports circles is Seattle 'Kraken'.

The group behind the renovation of Seattle’s KeyArena has registered 13 possible names, including Kraken.